


one day you'll make a dream last

by witchy_country616



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dream Sharing, F/M, Gen, Post-Season/Series Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 13:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11601999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchy_country616/pseuds/witchy_country616
Summary: “You guys have something, right?”Something? Something didn’t even begin to cover it.“Picking up any signals?”(there are no signals to pick)-- The one where, after Amaru, Richie and Kisa's connection manifests itself in the strangest of ways.





	one day you'll make a dream last

**Author's Note:**

> So, [starryskiesandbluediamonds](http://starryskiesandbluediamonds.tumblr.com) sent me a prompt on tumblr some four or five months ago about Richie and Kisa's connection post-season 3. And, even though it was a great prompt, I told her I probably would never write it because the season 3 finale made me so angry I couldn't move past it. But, I kept going back to her idea, of how did their connection remain (or didn't) after Kisa couldn't sense him in that cave, and this is the result.  
> As always, my stories are unbeta'd and I'm sorry for any mistakes. Oh, and the title comes from passenger's song let her go.  
> Lastly, I hope you enjoy it!

 (he isn’t the only one with dreams)

She had dreamt about him too. Sometimes she had even wondered if she didn’t will him into reality by the sheer force of her longing.

_“You guys have something, right?”_ Something? Something didn’t even begin to cover it. _“Picking up any signals?”_

(there are no signals to pick)

She can feel her non-existent heart constraining painfully in her chest and Seth’s words echo through her head in the worst kind of loop. _We do have something. We did. We did._ She orders herself to remain calm, even if the fact she can’t sense him at all is freaking her out. Amaru must have found a way to break their connection because he couldn’t just be _gone_ , could he? But there’s an emptiness inside her that tells her he is, he must be, otherwise she would still be feeling him.

After all, he had always been there, in the back of her mind – centuries before they would ever meet, before he was even born.

 

*****

 

It’d all started when Carlos told her that there was a way for her to escape from the temple – he had learned that from the other Lords’ emissaries. They would just need to find the one who would face the trials of the labyrinth and emerge victorious, carrying with him her essence. And he would come, Carlos knew, because there was an ancient prophecy. Malvado didn’t want them to find out, but it had all been written down long ago. One day she would be free.

She didn’t believe Carlos. She laughed and spit on his face once he finished his little tale. After all, Carlos would say whatever he thought she wanted to hear to please her; he wasn’t trustworthy.

But that same night, she saw him, the one who would set her free – centuries forward. A young man, with glasses, in an all-black outfit, with his ears glued to a metal box. _“You just need to hear for what’s there. And for what isn’t.”_ He murmured – and even though it was in a language she had not yet mastered, she could understand him perfectly. He aptly moved his fingers through the combination disc, pausing every once in a while, and finally opening the safe to show a bunch of golden bars. He laughed and someone else joined, saying, _“you’re a motherfucking genius, you know that?”_ Before she could determine to whom the second voice belonged to, she woke up.

She had thought the whole thing had been a figment of her imagination, but the visions continued, coming whenever she least expected them.

They were not always linear and the next time she saw Richie in her mind he was nothing but a young boy playing with his dog in the backyard. Then all grown up putting a gun on some guy’s face, followed by a teenager fumbling through his first time. And a child once more, putting his house and father on fire (and she had never been prouder).

The more she saw, the more the fell in love with a man who didn’t yet exist, and the easier it became to believe in the prophecy and convince Carlos to help her. She would do anything to be free.

(She would do anything to meet him.)

Time passed slowly, but it finally came the moment when she was able to present herself to him in the flesh and interact. Seduce him, lead him to the Titty Twister and do whatever it took to prove to him they were meant to be together, as she had been certain of.

Once they’d gotten together, it became easier to get into his mind and talk to him. They would use it on their jobs and it was proven useful on more than one occasion. But of course, it didn’t help against Malvado. That time, when she finally saw Richard on her mind, he had already made his (wrong, so wrong) choice. She never asked him if he had sensed her back then. It hurt too much to even talk about it.

And she didn’t try to contact him again, preferring to have a clean and total break. But it didn’t mean their connection wasn’t present, on the contrary, she could still sense him on the back of her mind. Strangely, it became a source of comfort and sometimes she wondered if it was the same for him too – if there was a small part of her on the back of his mind as well. If it was there, did it give him comfort too? Did it also petrify him when he couldn’t reach her?

(did he even _try_ to reach her?)

 

*****

 

He comes back from hell all in one-piece and in much better shape than she is (Xibalban knife to her back and all) and she watches relieved from the sidelines as Seth touches him, reassuring himself that his brother really was back.

Her hand itches to stroke his cheek and be able to verify by herself that he is alright, like Seth can. She doesn’t. Instead, Kisa bawls her right hand into a fist and pretends she isn’t affected by the thought of him dead, that it didn’t literally bring her to tears moments ago. And pretends it doesn’t affect her that, even though he is back, she still can’t sense him. How is that even possible?

She should talk to him, she knows.

_How did you come back?_

_I’m glad you’re not dead._

_It scared me._

(she leaves without saying a word)

 

*****

 

There’s a lot to be done and no time to be thinking about former lovers.

Together with the remaining _culebras_ , Kisa settles on a small town on the American side of the border. The Lords of the Night were all dead and without any other leadership, she finally becomes the queen Malvado had tried so hard to mold her into. But it’s different than she expected. It involves a lot more work and a lot less worshipping, that’s for sure. And with _culebras_ arriving everyday on their base in search of guidance, she is always needed.

She informs Seth of their location, together with her new phone number, and adds on the message, “pass it on to Richard too”. Even though it was kind of obvious that, whatever Seth knows, Richard knows as well. Seth texts back an “ _ok. stay safe_ ” almost immediately. But he doesn’t volunteer where they are or what they are doing, and she doesn’t ask. She has a feeling they need some time alone for themselves and she is not about to intrude on it – not after everything she has put them through.

There is not one mention of Richard.

(she tries not to care.)

She goes back to her people and their needs. With Carlos gone (more likely involved in something she is better off not knowing), there is no one to help. _Culebras_ have lived in the shadows for far too long, but they always had a support system - one built on slavery and exploration, but a system, nonetheless. Without one, they are all running around a little bit lost. Amidst all that, she needs to stand tall and certain, providing strength to those around as they rebuild.

It’s tiring and, as the sun comes up, she retreats to bed exhausted and alone.

 

*****

_She is out of breath, running in the middle of the forest, the sound of the temple guards’ footsteps behind her urging to run faster in a desperate attempt to escape them, when suddenly the forest around her changes into a busy street, no trees or guards around. The Texan sun is shinning on her and she can feel her skin start to burn with the sudden contact._

_A black sports car comes up fast in her direction and stops right in front of her. The window rolls down, and Richie screams from inside, “What are you waiting for? Get inside.”_

_She jumps in without hesitation and he pulls off as soon as her door smashes shut. “What are you doing here?”_

_“I couldn’t let you burn yourself in the sun, could I?” He retorts and Kisa raises one of her eyebrows at him, doubting his answer. It seems awfully convenient for him to show up like that._

_Not knowing what to say, she demands the obvious, “Where are we going?”_

_“Where do you want to go?” He questions her back and she gapes at him, speechless._

She wakes up and her hand immediately goes to her phone on her bedside table, wanting to call Seth and ask about Richie. She chastises herself for the thought. _It was just a stupid dream. No need for overreacting._

*****

_He is behind her, dropping wet kisses on her back and shoulders, with one hand against her head, moving her hair aside for easier access while the other is around her waist bringing her closer against his front. She involuntarily lets out a moan of pleasure and turns, facing him._

_His gaze is lidded with desire, his voice rougher than usual when he asks, “You okay?”_

_She nods quickly and confesses in a whisper, “I missed this.” He opens his mouth in surprise but before he can respond, her hands are wrapping themselves around his neck and bringing him down until their mouths meet in a slow, sensual kiss._

_Richie doesn’t complain, though. He deepens the kiss, his tongue slides over her lips, entering her mouth and tracing over her teeth and she feels like he is claiming her back with every kiss and touch. Their noses bump slightly in their eagerness and his mouth moves down her chin, biting it softly before sliding down her neck and sucking on it._

_Impatient, she starts her own exploration, her hands moving down his dress shirt in an attempt to open the buttons and tearing it apart in her desperate need to touch his skin while he lowers the zipper on her top and removes it quickly, throwing it aside. Her bra follows the same destiny shortly after._

_His hands move down her body to her ass and Richard picks her up with ease, her legs automatically wrapping around him with the same practice from when they were together. “Let’s go to bed.”_

The incessant banging on the door wakes her up. Disoriented, she slowly opens her eyes to her own room, the same one she went to bed last night, the one she had been sleeping in for the last three weeks. _Not Richard’s._ She sighs, trying to contain her disappointment. _Just another dream._

 

*****

_He is seating on the bed, picking up on some type of lock when she gets out of the bathroom after her shower, only a towel covering her naked body. On the back of her mind she knows something is not right, she shouldn’t be here,_ he _shouldn’t be here, but this feels normal._

_“I had no idea you still did this.” She comments casually, heading without hesitation to the other side of the room, where a suitcase with her clothes lies open._

_Richie blinks twice in surprise at hearing her voice, but he too seems to discard whatever reservations he might have about her presence there. “I need to keep my skills sharp. You never know when you’ll have to crack open a safe again.”_

_Kisa nods in understanding. “Once a boxman, always a boxman.”_

_Without any shame, she removes the towel and starts changing into her clothes, a black tank top and silk pajamas shorts. Richie looks away faster than her towel drops to the floor._

_“You can look now.” She announces once she has finished dressing up, a small smile adorning her lips. She doesn’t understand his reservations, it’s not like he hasn’t seen it all before. Multiple times, in fact._

_“I was trying to give you some privacy.” He counters, finally making eye contact with her. “Still don’t know why you couldn’t get your own room.”_

_It’s her turn to look away from him. Even though she tries not to care, those words stung. She knew she hadn’t always been the best where he was concerned, but… “You want me gone that much?”_

_“You know it’s not that.” Richie mutters softly and she looks back at him just in time to see the hurt in his eyes before he covers it up._

*****

_“What’s this?” He asks once she puts their plates down on the table, seating across him at the booth in the diner._

_“Enchiladas. With peppers, meat, tomatoes, eggs and cheese.” She answers without missing a bit and, despite his initial reservation, Richie digs in._

_“Huh. Not bad. Doesn’t taste like any other enchilada I’ve ever had.” He comments between bites and Kisa smiles at him mischievously._

_“See? That’s all Javier. He’s gonna make you the best Mexican food you ever had.”_

_“Who is Javier?”_

_“Our cook. He manages the kitchen at the bar, used to be a famous chef in Mexico before he was bitten and turned.”_

_He nods in understanding. “New place? Like the one in Piedras Negras?”_

_She pauses and takes a bite before answering, Manola’s face on her mind at the briefest mention of their old place. “Something like that.” Another pause. Richie seems lost in his own thoughts and she bites her lower lip before admitting, “It was silly to think we could destroy everything, right? They need guidance. And a place to feed their hunger… There’s always going to be a thirst.”_

_He doesn’t comment on her plan being silly, instead he acknowledges what she had told him a long time ago, “We can’t escape our nature.”_

_“No, we can’t. But we can have rules.”_

_“Rules?” He repeats, confused._

_“No feeding on civilians.”_

*****

 

She doesn’t dream about Richie the next day, a realization that leaves her relieved and annoyed at the same time. Relieved because those back-to-back dreams had started to confuse her, and annoyed because, well, she had started to look forward to them.

Tuesday comes and goes.

So does Wednesday.

Thursday.

Friday –

_The music is loud, nothing but an electronic beat, and she is dancing on the floor, her body moving effortlessly to the rhythm, amongst the sweaty bodies of strangers. It’s freeing._

_Still, she can sense his eyes on her, observing her every move and burning her skin like a touch. It quickens her pulse and throws her off for a second, just enough so someone collides with her._

_Annoyed, she gets off the dance floor, her eyes screening the room for him and finding him seated on a stool by the bar, drinking a whiskey. She comes closer and sits on the stool next to his._

_His hair is messed up, instead of sleeked back with gel, there are bags under his eyes and he is not wearing his glasses. Even his suit looked wrinkled. A sure sign something was wrong. “You look awful.” The words come out before she can stop herself._

_Richard smiles tiredly at her, “it’s been a long day” and takes another long drink from his glass._

_Kisa narrowed her eyes at him, “You’re lying.”_

_He makes a face but doesn’t answer her, pouring himself another dose._

_She sighs. “Richard.” It’s only his name, but the concern on her voice is unmistakable and forces him to talk._

_“I have to make a decision. And it’s not an easy one,” he admits._

_“Why not?” He doesn’t answer and she pushes on, “why can’t you tell me?”_

 

*****

 

Her alarm wakes her up, indicating it’s already five o’clock in the afternoon and the sun is going down.

“Shit.”

With the memory of Richard still fresh on her mind, she finally calls Seth.

“Hey, is everything okay? Did Amaru show up again?”

Even though he can’t see, she rolls her eyes in exasperation. _Typical Seth._ “Hello to you too, Seth.”

He chuckles on the other side of the line. “You never call, so forgive me for being worried. What happened?”

She pauses. Now that he asked and she has to say it aloud, she realizes how ridiculous it all sounds. “It’s nothing, but I had a… _feeling_.”

“You had a feeling.” Seth repeats slowly and she knows he doesn’t want to say something bad, but, even after everything, it’s in his nature to be skeptical.

“A feeling that something might go wrong.” She doesn’t elaborate any more before asking, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Maybe your snake senses are a bit wonky.”

“And Richard?” She demands just to be sure.

“He is fine, buying some coffee now as we speak. We have been driving the whole day, so…”

“You have been driving the whole day?”

“We pulled a job in Seattle and are just coming back now. Why? Is that important?

“No, it’s nothing. Like I said, just a feeling…well, it was good talking to you. Keep in touch.”

She ends the call quickly and lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief. They had been driving the whole day, so obviously Richard couldn’t be with her in her dream. It was just her overactive imagination conjuring him up. Everything was fine.

 

*****

_It’s night and the beach is empty except for them._

_The moon is not full, but, in it’s beautiful crescent form, it still shines brightly. Kisa likes it better this way, she thinks. It speaks of change and of everything that is to come. She lies down on the sand and tries to find the constellations she learned as a child on the sky._

_She points to the seven stars in a cluster that are most visible to them. “That’s Tianquiztli.”_

_“Tianquiztli.” He repeats, not butchering it up nearly as much as she expected. But then, Richard had always been good with languages. “The Pleiades, that’s what they call it now. Are there others you know?”_

_She looks up again, but already knows she won’t find any. “My father tried to teach me, but I was never the best sorting them out. You?”_

_He shrugs his shoulders. “I never really got into astronomy.”_

_“Richard, did you just admit there’s something you actually don’t know?” She teases him and he sighs._

_“C’mon, Sant—”_

_“Don’t call me that.” The interruption comes faster and harsher than even she expected, but she can’t stand that name anymore. It’s not her. It had never been her. She looks at him and can see the regret in his eyes, almost enough to soften her. Almost._

_The apology she is waiting for to forgive him doesn’t come though. Instead, he stays silent. She is about to tell him they should go, that the night has been ruined, when he asks, “why did you never tell me your real name?”_

_“You telling me you actually thought my name was Santanico?” She throws back at him, without answering._

_“Doesn’t matter what I thought. You could have told me.”_

_She lets out a small chuckle, the idea of confiding in him back then a laughable one. “No, Richard, I couldn’t. Back then, I didn’t want any reminder of who I had been, of what Malvado had taken from me.”_

_He pushes on, curious, “And now?”_

_“Now…” She picks up his hand and enlaces their fingers, “I know who I am.”_

She wakes up feeling reinvigorated and ready for another night of hard work at the club.

 

*****

 

“Boss, there’s a boy looking for you,” one of the guards informs her.

It’s Scott. It’s been two months since the battle and, with the exception of a few phone calls to Seth, she hasn’t talked to or seen any of the others.

She hugs him and, despite his initial surprise, Scott hugs her back.

“I thought you would be with your sister,” she comments after they separate.

“She needed some time alone. To figure herself out.” He answers nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders in a failed attempt to appear casual and only coming off as hurt. Kisa imagines it could not have been easy to hear these words after all he did to protect and save Kate. She debates telling him Kate still loves him, and her decision to leave had nothing to do with him, but in the end she doesn’t think hearing that would do him any good. “I heard you are putting together a new place here, wanted to see if I could help,” he adds, changing the subject and Kisa lets it go.

“There is a lot to do. We’re building a new club, to gather people and provide a feeding ground while trying to keep the other groups in their old territories. Fights have been breaking out all over.” She starts, eager to talk with someone she can trust, even if it’s just a kid like Scott.

 

*****

 

_Richard is setting up the tv as she walks into their old lair in Houston that night. There’s a wine bottle and two glasses on top of the center table. Candles have been lit around the place and the atmosphere is romantic. She sees the credits appearing on the screen and her eyes close once she realizes it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious. She knows this, remembers this night. It was the first time they had…._

_She can feel her cheeks blushing at the memory (remember when they had forever?) and, upset, she shakes her head, hoping the dream will fade away, but nothing happens._

_Richard pauses the movie and sits on the couch, pouring wine on both their glasses._

_“Scott is here.” She blurts out once she realizes the dream is not gonna change and she isn’t going anywhere. Richie looks around confused and she clarifies, “not here-here, obviously. He came around today. Said he wanted to help with the rebuilding.”_

_He nods, “makes sense. Without Kate, the_ culebras _are all he has”. Kisa frowns, something about that phrase doesn’t feel right, but she can’t pinpoint what._

_“I guess…” She half-heartedly agrees, sitting down next to him on the couch and picking up her glass. She makes no move to drink it, lazily running her fingertip across the border. “Do you ever wish we could go back?”_

_“Back where?” He asks, even though Kisa is sure he knows what she means._

_“Back to this.” She looks around, her eyes lingering on the half-made bed on the corner. “You ever miss it? Miss us?”_

_He shakes his head negatively. “You don’t do business in the old ways anymore, remember?” She does remember saying that, how proud she had stood back then even when she knew she must have been hurting him with her careless words. “And it wasn’t….”_

_“It wasn’t what?”_

_His eyes meet hers and there’s no hesitation on his voice when he answers, “It wasn’t real.”_

_Of everything she had imagined he would say,_ that _hadn’t ever crossed her mind. Her mouth opens and she tries to come up with something to say, “You really believe that?”_

_A beat. He doesn’t answer her._

_She moves closer, her right hand going up and softly caressing his cheek. “Just because it ended…it doesn’t mean it was not real, Richard.”_

_He is staring at her with surprise all over his face and Kisa can’t tell if he believes on her or not._

_Before she can say something else and convince him, she hears another voice penetrating the dream, “Richie, wake up. Wake up now.”_

_That voice, she knows that voice…_

_“What th – ?”_

_But Richie is gone and the dream fades fast._

 

*****

 

It can’t be. She imagined the voice, just like she’s been imagining Richie this whole time. It’s just her mind playing tricks on her again. But then, what if she didn’t imagine it and it’s all true?

Determined to find it out for herself, she gets out of the bed and goes after the only person who can actually shine a light on this thing.

“SCOTT! SCOTT! Where the hell are you?”

The boy comes out of the storage room, fixing up his clothes and hair, together with one of the newest bartenders. Any other day she would be interested in the gossip, but she has no time for that now.

“Finally.”

“What the fuck? If you can’t see, it’s the middle of the day and I was sleeping, like anyone with half a brain around here should be doing.” He retorts, his sharp tongue annoying the hell out of her already.

Kisa rolls her eyes and goes down to business, “She is not alone, is she? There’s no finding herself. She is with _them_.” She doesn’t have to specify who “they” are, it’s clear to both of them.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He denies, not looking her in the eye.

She hisses. “Don’t lie to me!”

Scott takes a step back, afraid of her coming any closer. “Alright! So everything I said was true! We separated after the battle. I went searching for her last week because I was worried, she didn’t keep in touch. And they were pulling jobs together. They robbed a bank.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know! They were going to Seattle for a job.”

“Scott, you know. Where are they.”

He bit his lip, reluctant to give the information when she looks so angry. “A motel on the highway off Junction.”

“Thank you. Tell Javi he is charge of everything until I come back. I’m off.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna get some freaking answers.”

 

*****

 

Juction is not that far and, on her bike, without paying any attention to the speed limits, she gets to the motel Scott mentioned in under three hours. And the manager is only too kind to point her to the room her friends are staying after she smiles at him and shows off a little cleavage.

She knocks on the door three times before Kate opens it up, her red hair and flushed cheeks contrasting nicely with the simple white dress she is wearing.

“Santanico? Is something wrong?”

Kate seems genuinely surprised by her presence there, but Kisa doesn’t bother correcting her on her name or answering the question. _Of course something is wrong, would she be here otherwise?_ “Is he there?”

“Who?” Kate replies confused. “Seth went out to…”

“It’s me she is looking for, Kate.” Richard interrupts from behind her, coming closer to the door. “Right?”

Kisa nods. “Do you think we can talk in private?”

Kate looks startled by the request, her eyes darting between Richie and Kisa before she relents, “I’m gonna go out and find Seth. You two can talk inside”, quickly grabbing her bag and running down the stairs in the direction of the parking lot.

Richard doesn’t say anything and just opens the door all the way, stepping aside to let her in.

The room is small, two single beds with bedside tables, a round table on the corner by the window and two chairs. She wonders about what kind of sleeping arrangements they have while Richie sits down one of the chairs, gesturing for her to do the same.

She keeps standing. “You know why I am here.”

“I have an idea.”

“We have been having the same dreams.” It’s a statement, not a question.

Still, he answers casually, “that’s what it seems” and she narrowed her eyes at him. _Of course. He knew it already._

Shaking her head, she questions him, “How long have you known?”

“I didn’t know for certain until you came barging here after hearing Kate’s voice…”

Not believing him, Kisa insists, “Richard. How long?”

Richie sighs and closes his eyes for a moment before answering, “Since that time you gave me the enchiladas, talked about the cook and the new place. There was no way I could make that shit up myself, so I figured I was probably talking to you. The real you, not another fantasy in my mind.”

She looks at him like he had betrayed again and it’s what it feels like. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought I could stop them on my own.” Hearing that hurt. A lot more than knowing he hadn’t told her the truth. After everything they had been through together, he didn’t trust her anymore.

“That’s why you didn’t show up the next days after that.” She mutters mostly to herself and he nods in agreement. She takes a deep breath and continues, “fine, so now we just have to stop it for good.”

That seems to finally shake him, “what?”

“It’s better for everyone if we stop these dreams for good.” She repeats, turning away from him and seating down in one of the beds, her whole demeanor cold and aloof. “How did you stop them the first time, anyway?”

“I didn’t sleep.” He replies honestly and she looks back at him with contempt.

“That was your big plan? You didn’t sleep for three days?”

“It was not the best, I know. I looked through those old Xibalban writings we had taken from the bar, but I couldn’t find anything about dream sharing. So I stayed awake. But when I dozed off on our way back from Seattle, it immediately took me back to you.”

She nods, taking in all the information he is only now sharing. A part of her wonders if he is being sincere, if he is not still keeping things from her, and hates the fact that he didn’t confide in her in the first place. How silly she must have seemed to him, making all these confessions in the safety of her mind, while he had known the truth the whole time. Well, fine. If he didn’t want any contact with her, she would make sure those dreams stopped even it was the last thing she did.

Getting up from the bed, she acknowledges, “thanks for all the help, Richard”, her voice full of irony, and walks in the direction of the door without another word.

He gets up from his chair in a second; running after her and catching up to her outside his room on the motel balcony, “Wait. Where the hell are you going?”

Kisa stops, letting out a long-suffering sigh before turning back at him and declaring, “I’m going to see to Carlos. Maybe _he_ knows how to stop it.”

“Carlos? Really? You’re gonna go running to him to solve this?” His anger and jealousy is evident in every word, and she takes a small pleasure in knowing she can still affect him like this. He might want to get rid of her, but he is not over her.

“I don’t see you having any better ideas.”

“If you just stopped running and talked to me, maybe we could figure something out.”

“Oh, that’s rich. Me, running? This coming from the guy went hiding for three days without sleep and still didn’t have the balls to tell me truth!” She is shouting at his face now and they both look ready to jump at each other’s throats.

Richie takes a step back and answers softly, “It wasn’t like that.”

Unrelenting, she keeps pushing “Oh, now? What was it like then, Richard? Lying to me while I was there telling you everything?”

He shakes his head, “you wouldn’t understand.”

She raises one of her eyebrows in challenge, “try me.”

“I never lied to you, I just wanted to give you space. And I thought it would be easier if I just solved it on my own without you ever knowing.”

“You’re right. I don’t understand.” She answers in a pained voice and turns to walk away from him once more.

“Kisa.” He says and finally hearing her own name in his voice makes her stop on her tracks, but she doesn’t turn. She won’t give in.

The silence lingers between them until he finally confess, “You know I’m still in love with you.”

_She knows_ , which only makes all of this more complicated.

(she walks away without looking back.)

  

*****

 

The drive back to the club goes by in a blur and she walks directly to her room without speaking to anyone.

She doesn’t seek Carlos that night. She doesn’t sleep either. She can’t, not without first figuring out what to do.

She had thought Richie would be out of her life for good, the emptiness from their lack of connection since Amaru a constant memory of what they used to have that she figured she would get used to. But then, there he had been, in her dreams, night after night, allowing her to open up to him in a way she wasn’t able to in real life and bringing her a type of comfort she couldn’t find anywhere else. That is, while she hadn’t known it was really him with her. While she was still able convince herself it was all a dream.

Looking back now, she should have known the truth. But she had wanted him, wanted him back in her life in the uncomplicated way that’s only possible in the fantasy world. Only they weren’t just dreams. Or, not just _her_ dreams. They were Richie’s too, and he had been clear he wanted them gone.

Even if later he admitted he still loved her… _Love._ It was the first time either of them had ever used the word in relation to the other, and she wonders why is he professing that now when his every action screams otherwise.

No, Richie doesn’t love her. He can’t.

It’s five in the morning and she is almost succumbing to sleep when her phone buzzes with a new message.

_Unknown number: In case you wanna know, Carlos is back in Matanzas._

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out whom it is. She deletes the message without answering.

 

*****

 

She lets two more days of sleepless nights (days) pass before she gives in and finally seeks Carlos out.

She finds him seating on a rocking chair on the front porch of one of the abandoned houses in Matanzas, exactly like she left him all those months ago when they parted ways. Kisa is not naïve enough to believe this is where he has been the whole time, though. He had known she was coming. And yet, like the devious bastard that he is, he doesn’t offer her any help when she recounts her current problem.

“So you and that _pinche_ criminal are back at it again?” He laughs at her face as if the whole story is one big joke.

“We’re not back at it, I told you. We’re just having the same dreams.” She explains once more, trying to keep her composure and settling for rolling her eyes at him.

“And what, you want my help with it?” He asks, taking pleasure in having the upper hand for once. “What do you think, that this is sick some machination from the gods?”

“Is it, Carlos?” She demands seriously and his laughing stops.

“Of course not, _mi amor_.” He answers her truthfully, that is, as truthfully as anything can be if it’s coming from Carlos. “This is the first time I’m hearing about this dream sharing of yours. The gods have nothing to do with this. It’s all between you and the Gecko.”

She wants to know more and how to stop it, but he refuses to say anything else.

“As much as it pains me to say it, _reina_ , my advice would be to talk to Richard about it.”

Kisa lets out a defeated sigh, “For your own sake, Carlos, I hope you’re telling the truth. Or else, the Gods will be collecting parts of your dismembered body from here to Yucatán.”

Seemingly unaffected by her words, Carlos smirks at her, “Your threat has been duly noted, _mi amor_. Now, don’t you have a Gecko to chase?”

 

*****

 

Kisa has too much self-respect and self-preservation to go chasing after anyone, let alone a Gecko. Instead, she sends him a message, asking him to come and meet her tonight at the new club.

They will talk, alright. But this time it will be on her terms and in her territory.

Richard arrives at nine pm on the dot and, upon seeing him, she motions for him to follow her with her head and takes him to a backroom at the club that she uses as an office, where they will be able to talk without interruptions (and the gossiping ears of her staff).

Richie goes directly to business as soon as they find themselves alone, “So, what did Carlos say?”

She takes a deep breath and informs him in a cold tune, “That he doesn’t know anything and it has nothing to do with the gods. He says it’s all between me and you.”

He scoffs at her, “Well, do you believe him?”

Kisa shrugs, “He seemed sincere. And what reason would Carlos have to lie about this?”

“What reason does Carlos have to do anything?” Richie counters, his disdain for Carlos clear in his voice.

“I know Carlos.” She declares firmly and teases him with a half-smile, “ _He_ wouldn’t lie to me.”

Like she expected, saying that only serves to annoy him more. Richie runs his hand through his hair in frustration and argues back, “It’s not like he hasn’t crossed us over. More than once, I might add. It would be just like him to do it again.”

“It’s not like you haven’t done the same,” she retorts bitterly.

Richard looks equally hurt and angry by her comparison, his jaw clenching and lips narrowing in a thin line. “Are you going to keep holding that over me?” Kisa doesn’t answer him, instead looking away. “I thought we were past that.”

Kisa swallows, unsure of what to say. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t forgiven him, but letting go of the resentment was not as easy.

He sighs, dropping his head. “I’m sorry. For making that deal Malvado… For letting Manola die… And for lying to you.”

She wasn’t expecting that kind of apology from him, especially not at this moment. Her eyes are starting to get wet and she sniffles, trying to not let him see how moved she is.

“Apologizing doesn’t make it all okay,” she laments. “You were in my dreams, Richard! I was telling you all that stuff and you never said anything!”

He lets out a chuckle, interrupting her. “Have you noticed it’s not the fact that I lied that bothers you so much? You are more scared that, for the first time, you were actually being honest with me. That you told me something personal.”  

She gasps and points her finger to chastise him, but he doesn’t let her speak, “And, by the way, that’s exactly why I didn’t go running to tell you what has happening. Figured I’d save us both the humiliation.”

“That’s not fair,” she whispers, “you kissed me.”

He comes closer until their bodies are almost touching, “That was before I knew the truth. If I had known it was really you, I wouldn’t have.”

She gulps. “Why?”

Richie shakes his head slightly before answering, and his right hand goes up to her face, caressing her cheek softly, like she used to caress his when they were together. It’s been so long since she had felt his touch outside of a dream that she can feel herself shivering at the contact. “Because I still love you too much to start something you wouldn’t want.”

Her eyes widen in surprise, “Richard, I…,” before she can continue, he puts a finger over her mouth, stopping her mid-sentence.

His voice is sad and firm when he says, “It’s okay. It was a fantasy. We both know that’s the only reason why you wanted it.”

She wants to tell him that it’s not true, that he is wrong. The only reason she wanted it was because it was _him_. She had wanted him, not some fantasy. But the words get tied around her throat and she loses her nerve. Instead, what comes out is, “are you going back to her?”

Confusion written all over his face, the only thing he manages to say is, “Huh?”

“Kate. Are you going back to her?”

Richard still seems confused, his brows frown, but answers her anyway, “yeah, I’m meeting her and Seth back at the motel and…wait a minute, you think I’m with Kate?”

“Aren’t you?”

He looks offended by the mere question and she tries to not look too pleased when he denies it vehemently, “Of course not. She is a kid! Didn’t you hear anything I just said?”

Not willing to concede to his arguments just yet, she points out what had been bothering her all along, “But I could hear her voice in our dream.”

“She can do freaky shit like that ever since she killed Amaru. And not only with me, by the way. Seth and Scott too,” Richie explains with a shrug and observes with a smirk, “I didn’t know you were the jealous type.”

She scoffs at him, “I am not jealous, Richard. I was _concerned_.”

He doesn’t argue back, “Fine. This is it, then?”

“I guess… We still haven’t come up with a solution.”

“Somehow…” he observed, “I don’t think we will figure that out today.”

“No, probably not,“ Kisa agrees. She had summoned him and he came, only instead of putting an end to this, their conversation had only made everything more complicated.

He nods. “I’m going then. I’ll contact you if I discover anything.” And without waiting for her to say goodbye, he turns away, walking towards the door.

_No, no, no._ No way she is letting him leave like this.

He is at the door already when she finally screams, “Richard, wait!”

He turns expectantly, “What is it?”

She walks slowly in his direction until they are standing face to face. “I… You’re wrong.”

“About…?”

Gathering all her courage, she takes another step forward so now their bodies are touching. Richard doesn’t move away and she raises her hand to his cheek, stroking it softly and bringing his face down. “You know what,” she murmurs in a barely audible tone before kissing him. It’s soft, slow and almost chaste, their lips the only part touching. He closes his eyes, savoring the feel of having her on his arms after all this time, and his hands go around her waist, keeping her close. Kisa takes it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, letting her tongue in his mouth, and putting her arms around his neck. She can feel him tighten his hold on her waist and respond eagerly to her kiss, his tongue searching for passage into her mouth and claiming control. _So much better than in her dreams._

Out of breath, she pulls back first, her cheeks rosy and her lipstick smudged when she confesses, “It wasn’t just a fantasy to me.”

 

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I really hope y'all liked it. And please, comment or leave kudos if you can, as it really helps keeping me motivated and writing.


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